Fly-catcher.



lJNrrED STATES ATENT @rrron.

FLY-CATCH ER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 681,306, dated August27, 1901.

Application filed January 31, 1900. Serial No. 3,462. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SIEGFRIED FRENKEL, manufacturer of fancy stationery,a subject of the German Emperor, residing at Leipzigerstrasse 54,Halle-on-the-Saale, in the Kingdom of Prussia, German Empire, haveinvented a certain new and useful Paper Ball for Keeping Flies Away fromPolished Surfaces, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to scares or traps of globular shape forflies'made of paper and similar material and which are commonly used tokeep the flies away from polished metallic and other surfaces or points,from chandeliers, decorative designs, and the like, from which they areusually kept suspended, so as to induce the fly, which is attracted bythe usually bright colors of the so-called flyball, to go upon the saidball and crawl into its openings rather than to settle upon the brightsurface and soil the same, the globular-shaped fly-balls heretofore usedfor this purpose being, owing to their size, not very well adapted fortransportation and for long storage. The devices of this kind as usedheretofore present the further disadvantage of being easily disfiguredby pressure, shocks, squeezing, or other external influences, whichcaused the necessity of devising special means to protect them duringstorage or transit. These inconveniences are entirely avoided in myinvention, which makes it possible to fold the globular scare or trap ofthis kind into a flat form.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings in a preferredform of construction.

Figure 1 is an elevation with parts in section, showing the fly-ballhalf opened. Fig. 2 represents the fly-ball folded down ready forshipment.

The globular fly-trap is made up of a series of semicircular-shapedsheets of tissue-paper a, which are so arranged that the straight edgesof all the sheets coincide with the geometrical axis of the ball. Thedifferent sheets are glued together, so as to form cellular spaces 5,the configuration of which is immaterial and may be of any desiredshape. The formation of these cellular spaces is effected by pasting thecircular or rather semicircular sheets together at some points of theirperipheries, the points of adherence of each following sheet beingplaced nearly in the middle, between the points of adherence of theforegoing sheet, so as to give a kind of bees cells appearance tothe'structure thus formed; but it is obvious that I may provide othermeans for forming the cellular spaces. The flies being attracted by thebright colors and the flower-like appearance of the fly-ball thus formedwill be induced to settle upon the latter rather than upon the brightsurfaces, which are thereby protected from soiling by flies. In ordernow to be able to fold the ball down flat, the whole surface of thefirst and the last sheet of tissue-paper is pasted upon a circular disk0, of cardboard, strong paper, Wood, or other suitable material, thesaid disk being so arranged as to be folded in either direction, whichmakes it possible to either fold the disk with the different leaves ofpaper down flat or by bending the disk 0 in the opposite direction to.produce the globular shape. In order to keep the device in this shape,any suitable mechanical means may be provided to retain the two halvesof the disk in that shape.

The ball may be manufactured from any material suitable for the purpose,and it may also be oval-shaped, elliptical; conical, or polygonalwithout departing from the spirit of my invention.

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the UnitedStates, is

A fly-ball for attracting flies and for keeping them away from bright orother surfaces to be protected from their exudations, comprising thecombination with a folding disk, of a series of sheets of tissue-paper,folded together so as to fit the folds of the pliable disk, the surfacesof the first and of the last sheet of tissue-paper being attached to thesaid folding disk, which may be folded together into any desired shape,the edges of the sheets of tissue-paper being pasted together atalternating points, substantially as described.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of twowitnesses.

SIEGFRIED FRENKEL.

Witnesses:

RUDOLPH FRIOKE, EMIL ZIEGER.

